Minutes:
Elliott Lorimer, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Manager provided an update on behalf of Robin Gray, Planning and Environment, Lancashire County Council on work he has been carrying out on the Trees, Woodland and Forestry Strategy. The National Forest Inventory indicates that an area of 67km² (approximately 8% of the AONB) is woodland largely fragmented except for the Forestry England estates at Knots Wood, Gisburn and the Dunsop valley and privately owned woodland on Grindleton Fell and Longridge Fell, which are predominantly conifer plantations. Sections of the strategy will cover the following:
· Woodland and nature recovery.
· Woodland and carbon.
· Woodland and landscape.
· Woodland and water.
· Woodland and cultural heritage.
· Sustainable woodland management.
Mapping work has been done on identifying where woodland creation may be possible, and this is in conjunction with colleagues in Nidderdale in the Yorkshire Dales, North Pennines and Northumberland on the constraints mapping. This is still largely dependant on landowners bringing forward sites for woodland planting.
The Committee were shown the English National Park Authorities definition of "Right Tree in the Right Place" which was:
• In English National Parks, when identifying or assessing the suitability of sites for tree planting/restocking and considering the appropriateness of species to be planted, the nature of their planting and their ongoing management needs, there is a presumption in favour of schemes that will conserve and/or enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park in question, as expressed in the relevant National Park Management Plan.
• There is similarly a presumption against schemes that overall do harm to the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of National Parks as expressed in their respective National Park Management Plans.
• In meeting these requirements, schemes that also provide for public access and thereby provide opportunities for the public to understand and enjoy the special qualities of the National Parks are likely to be seen more favourably.
• In assessing the wider effects of any planting scheme, the potential social and economic benefits to the local community will also be taken into consideration, but this will not override the presumptions identified above since these benefits have already been factored into the Management Plans.
An example of what the AONB Unit working on identifying where woodland creation is possible was outlined, namely the Quermore and Conder Valley. Proposals were put forward to the National Grid's Landscape Enhancement Initiative of which the outcome is still awaited in terms of approval of funding. In addition, for Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership there are a number of new woodlands that will be created as part of that landscape partnership scheme and some that have already been created or planted in partnership with the River Ribble Trust.
There are a series of principles for encouraging the creation of woodland schemes which are:
• Clough Woodland: opportunities for new woodland.
• Encourage protection and management of farm-scale woodland.
• Trees outside woodland: returning and conserving our 'landmark trees'.
• Ancient replanted woodland is restored to a semi-natural state.
• Encouraging field copses and new farm woodland.
• Productive woodlands: managing existing woodland to UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS).
• Promote continuous cover forestry where appropriate particularly on sites with high landscape value.
The Committee noted that Government had published a draft Tree Strategy in the summer and the strategy that has been produced locally reflects it and will be published shortly.
The Committee were informed that Wyre Council have an ambition to plant significant numbers of trees as part of its Climate Change Strategy and they are working with Wyre Rivers Trust via the Lancashire Woodlands Connect campaign.
Resolved: That the Committee noted the update.